Milltown narrowly miss out on national Tidy Town crown
Success also for Ballygar and Tuam
MILLTOWN have continued their great record in the Tidy Towns Competition, securing another gold medal and finishing just five points off the national title.
Gold, silver and bronze awards are given to entrants with scores that fall within a set range from that year’s overall winning score. This year’s champions are Ballinahown in Co Westmeath, who bagged 414 points out of a possible 600.
With a score of 409, Milltown were awarded a Gold Medal. There was also success for Ballygar and Tuam, who with scores of 398 and 383 secured silver and bronze medals respectively.
Both groups also took home awards for their Gum Litter Taskforce initiatives, while Headford Tidy Towns came home with the national crown in the Greenways and Active Travel Special category of the competition.
Milltown have a long history in the Tidy Towns competition, having taken home the county title on 21 occasions. However, despite an increase of 12 points on their 2025 score, it was not enough to regain the crown they last won in 2025.
For the second year running, they were edged out by the village of Abbey in South-East Galway which secured 411 points, just two more then Milltown.
“We are so close to bagging more success and these numbers show what we can achieve if we stay focused,” Milltown Tidy Towns Chairperson Jimmy Kirrane told The Tuam Herald.
“Milltown is a big area to maintain, but we are lucky to have a dedicated group of volunteers, young and old. We have around 20 to 25 on hand every week, doing jobs like weeding, mowing and painting. They bring huge energy and enthusiasm and are out from early May to September.
“I want to thank everyone who made this gold possible. We have a strong committee and dedicated volunteers, but I also must thank those who helped from our local schools and the tireless work done by the staff working on our local Community Employment Scheme. They all helped massively.”
Ballygar enjoyed one the biggest jumps in scoring of the 50 entries from Galway, gaining an additional 18 points to get to 398, just 16 points off the overall winners Ballinahown.
That earned them a silver medal, having won bronze last year. They also won the Gum Litter Taskforce Award, in both the Village/Small Town category and the overall national award, having worked alongside local secondary school Colaiste Mhuire. They receive €5,000 in prize money as a result.
“Ballygar Tidy Towns was reestablished in 2012. Since then, we have gone from strength to strength,” explained group spokesperson Nuala McDonagh.
“Our success is contributed by the wonderful dedication of our volunteers, but also by working with the local schools, sports clubs, local organisations, Galway County Council and the Community Employment Scheme.”
Tuam continued its great recent record in the competition by securing a bronze medal for the third year in a row. Having secured an additional 11 points, they were the highest scorers from Galway in Category E of the competition, towns with a population of between 5,001 and 10,000.
They also came out on top in the Large Town/Large Urban Centre category of the Gum Litter Taskforce Awards for their work in securing a chewing gum removal machine for the town, winning them €3,000.
“It’s not really about winning medals and awards, it is just about making the town look as good as possible, and I think the place was sparkling this year,” commented Helen Gillard, Tuam Tidy Towns Chairperson.
“I’m hoping we can get more people involved next year, try link up with the resident’s associations in the different areas of the town, join forces with them to make things easier for everyone.
“Getting our work acknowledged by winning a medal gives us all a big lift. We are out in hail, wind and snow all year. Our goal for 2027 is to retain the bronze medal, but any upgrade would be great too. The priority is not to go back down a level after putting in so much work getting to this stage.”
Headford Tidy Towns are also celebrating. They secured the national title in the Greenways and Active Travel Special category for the Sandybanks Lane Greenway.
It was developed from an overgrown wilderness into a much loved and used community greenway. The walk links Bridge Street to the Cong Road and promotes exercise and healthy living by encouraging regular walking, running and cycling, for families and people of all abilities.
Over 20 tidy towns groups from across North Galway took part in this year’s competition. They all secured additional points as they pushed towards securing medals and awards in the future.
Newbridge were one of the biggest improvers, earning an extra 21 points to get to 361, while Creggs continued their upward trajectory by netting an addition 19 points (364). Corofin bagged an additional 18 points (290), while Kilkerrin secured an extra 16 points, leaving them on 344.
Williamstown (384), Monivea (373), Caltra (367), Mountbellew (368), Dunmore (351), Claregalway (365) and Athenry (378) were some of the other groups to post impressive scores in what was another great year for North Galway in the competition.